An anaerobic digester system is in your farm’s future. Congratulations!
Whether your goal is to reduce odor and greenhouse gas emissions, minimize manure pathogens, add a new revenue source, participate in developing carbon markets, or take advantage of all these benefits of anaerobic digestion, you have much to consider.
Use the following recommendations and pro tips as you traverse your anaerobic digester journey.
1. Plan, plan, plan.
Crafting and negotiating the contract for an anaerobic digester project is one of the most significant steps in the process – second only to breaking ground. Work to ensure the contract protects your dairy business and outlines who is responsible for each step and component of the process and facilities.
Pro tip: Consult with an attorney well-versed in agriculture and projects of this nature. Also:
- Learn from other farms that have partnered in anaerobic digester projects.
- Find and hire experienced project coordinators who understand dairy operations and bridge the gap between the digester developer and your dairy.
- Request a timeline for all project phases, from signing the contract to commissioning. Set start and completion dates to help keep the project moving.
2. Make a construction game plan.
After months and months of planning, breaking ground on your digester site is an exciting moment. Most decisions have been made, and a majority of the day-to-day needs are handed off to the development team. However, it’s essential not to take a back seat in this project phase. Work to ensure digester construction doesn’t interfere with normal dairy functions. Communication between the digester development and dairy teams is critical to help meet this goal.
Pro tip: Set clear expectations about access and usage of farm resources, such as water, electricity, equipment, and more, to reduce misunderstandings while ensuring the farm team and the digester team have access to the resources and tools they need when needed. Set up weekly project meetings to help facilitate communication.
3. Manage service and follow-up.
The goal for your digester project is 100% uptime. Understand the type of system you’re installing and be prepared for potential impacts to your dairy’s daily operation. Consider who will be responsible for keeping the system running after installation.
Pro tip: Keep an inventory of spare parts on site to support your system. Include parts for your entire manure system – anything that keeps manure flowing to the digester and prevents disruption to your herd’s routine.
4. Use your resources.
Here are some helpful resources for more information about tackling an anaerobic digester system:
Pro tip: To learn even more, check out this eBook.
5. Manage sand.
Lastly, remember that sand separation and removal from the manure stream are essential considerations throughout this process for sand-bedded dairies because sand-laden manure and anaerobic digestors are not compatible. Further, sand separation continues to evolve, and expectations for higher sand recovery will only increase. The management commitment can be challenging even if the right inputs (sand type and system design) are met. Just as digester development companies continue to evolve their processes and offerings, so does McLanahan. Our team continues to advance systems and work with customers to produce a manure stream void of sand.
Pro tip: Whether you need a system for sand recovery or a system to make dry manure fiber, partner with the right equipment supplier and dealer to work with you after the system is commissioned.
To learn more about McLanahan, visit https://www.mclanahan.com/solutions/dairy
